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Asifa Bano (Kathua Rape Case) Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 28, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth2010

Age8 (at the time of death)

BirthplaceKathua, Jammu & Kashmir, India

NationalityIndian

FamilyFoster parents: Muhammad Yusuf Pujwala and Naseema Bibi; biological father: Muhammad Akhtar

Asifa Bano (Kathua Rape Case) Biography

Asifa Bano was an eight-year-old girl from the Bakarwal community in Kathua district, Jammu and Kashmir. In January 2018 she was abducted, gang-raped and殺d

Early life and background

Asifa Bano was born in 2010 and raised in Rasana village in Kathua district, Jammu and Kashmir, India. She belonged to the Bakarwal community, a nomadic Muslim shepherd group that moves seasonally with their livestock. Asifa became part of the household of Muhammad Yusuf Pujwala and his wife Naseema Bibi when they adopted her in 2010; she was around two years old at that time. The couple had lost two daughters before adopting Asifa. Her biological father is named Muhammad Akhtar.

Asifa’s foster mother remembered her as a lively child who looked after the family herd and moved with the family during their seasonal migrations. At the time of her death Asifa was eight years old.

Career

There is no professional career to record for Asifa. She was a child who helped with her family’s animals and spent time grazing horses and tending to livestock in the area around her home.

The attack and death

In January 2018 Asifa disappeared after going to graze horses in a meadow near Rasana. According to the criminal charge sheet and subsequent court records, local residents later learned she had been abducted, drugged, sexually assaulted repeatedly by multiple men and then killed. Her body was discovered in the forest on 17 January 2018 after being dumped by her attackers on 15 January.

Legal proceedings

The case prompted a high-profile criminal investigation. The Jammu and Kashmir government ordered a Crime Branch probe on 23 January 2018. The trial began in April 2018 before the Principal Sessions Court in Kathua and was later transferred to a special court in Pathankot, Punjab, at the direction of the Supreme Court of India. The Supreme Court also directed that the trial be fast-tracked and held in-camera.

After more than 100 hearings, a special court in Pathankot convicted six of seven accused of rape and murder when the trial concluded on 3 June 2019; one accused, Vishal Jangotra, was acquitted in that proceeding. On 16 November 2022 the Supreme Court held that one of the accused previously treated as a juvenile was not a juvenile and ordered that he be tried afresh as an adult for the offences.

Public profile

The brutal nature of the crime and the involvement of local officials and residents drew national attention and widespread public outrage. The case highlighted tensions in the area and accusations of communal bias and intimidation against the Bakarwal community. When Asifa’s family sought to bury her, reports said they faced threats from local activists who opposed the burial on communal grounds. The matter became a focal point for debates about law, minority rights and the conduct of investigations in Jammu and Kashmir.

Asifa’s family and community describe her as a playful, caring child who tended animals and enjoyed running and being outdoors. Her death sparked protests by members of the Bakarwal community and calls for justice across the country.

Latest updates

Legal developments continued after the initial trial. The Supreme Court’s 2022 decision that one accused should be treated as an adult means that portions of the legal process remain active and subject to further proceedings. Beyond court actions, Asifa’s case remains a reference point in discussions about criminal justice and protections for marginalized communities in the region.
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Career Highlights

  1. Adopted into the Pujwala family in 2010
  2. Victim in the high-profile Kathua rape and murder case in January 2018
  3. Case transferred to Pathankot and fast-tracked by the Supreme Court of India
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Asifa Bano (Kathua Rape Case) born?

2010